Profile: Biltmore Estate

At Biltmore, sustainable thinking has been the centerpiece of our efforts to serve as a model in our community regarding environmental stewardship. Our emphasis on sustainability has been inspired by George Vanderbilt’s vision of Biltmore as a working estate.

Our current projects include solar panels to generate our own renewable energy source. We now have nine total acres of solar panels that offset our energy usage by 20 percent. Plus, the solar fields continue to serve as pasture for estate sheep that supply lamb to our restaurants enabling us to utilize the land for agricultural use.

Another major effort is our canola plantings. We planted 50 acres of non-GMO canola which is converted to 5,000 to 6,000 gallons of biodiesel oil annually to power various farm machines around the estate.

We run a 10-acre Field to Table production garden as part of our emphasis on local food. Our garden provides a variety of vegetables, herbs and small fruit year-round, all of which are used in estate restaurants, along with both estate-raised and locally sourced meats.

As a family-owned business, our top priority is preserving and protecting Biltmore for future generations; using sustainable practices ensures that vision is carried on.